Machine for sewing bag corners



July 4, 1933. A. E. RICHARDS MACHINE FOR SEWING BAG CORNERS Filed June 27, 1931 Patented July 4, 1933 ALFRED EDWARD RICHARDS,

PATENT FFICE OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COBPGBABZTGN, G PATEBSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW 7 JERSEY Ii'IAC'HlNE FGR SE1 ING BAG GQRNERS Application filed June 27, 1931, Serial No. 547,425, and in Great Britain January 15, 1931.

This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to bag corner sewing or like operations and is particularly, but by no means exclusively, concerned with machines of the general kind de cribed in the U. S. at-

ents to Ricks et al., No. 1,695,718, granted ecember 18, 1928, and to Ricks et al., No.

1,707,571, granted April 2, 1929.

An important object of the present invention isto provide for giving effective inside support to the parts of a bag to be sewn together when these parts are made of such thin flimsy material that the needle and awl of such a machine as above indicated inevitably emerge inside the bag from the materials during the formation of the seam.

One of the several features of the present invention resides in theprovision in a rotary horn machine of a kind such as above indicated, of an internal support for the pieces to beunited, which support comprises a member mounted on the horn and capable of universal movement relatively to the horn and so formed as to support the pieces close to their edges and close to the points of penetration of the pieces by the awl and needle of the machine.

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparout to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, of a preferred form of support according to the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly in section of a part of a bag corner sewing machine, as described in U. S. patent to Ricks et al., No. 1,707,571, and a convenientinternal support illustrative of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view on an en larged scale of the work supporting parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the work supporting parts on the samescale as Figure 2 when viewed in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is an end view of the internal supporting member.

The invention is shown applied to a lockstitch sewing machine having the construction and mode of operation of the machine shown and described in U. S. patent to French and Meyer No. 473,870 granted April ('15 29, 1892. This machine is provided with stitch forming and work feeding devices including a curved hook needle and an awl, indicated in Figs. 1 and 2; Y 2

According to the present invention, the $39 machine is also provided with work supporting parts including an. internal support mounted on a horn and an external work support for holding the edges of the materials in position to be operated upon by the stitch d5 forming devices and arranged to move the supports intermittently apart in time with the feeding movements imparted to the stitch forming devices.

The said internal support comprises a 5.9 square block 2 which is mounted for universal movement on the ball end 4 of the horn part 6. The block 2 has at each corner of it a projection 8 and the center portion 10 of the block is of truncated pyramidal form. C1 The truncated end of the pyramid and the ends of the projections, which are somewhat rounded, engage and hold close to its edge one of the pieces 12 of the bag against the external work support 14 during the sewing. The other piece 16 of the bag is pressed against the external work support 14 by one or other of the side faces 18 of the block and by the sides of two of the projections 8. The projections 8. are spaced apart a distance which allows the awl 20 to move between them when feeding the work at its maximum feed stroke without engaging the projections.

A spring 22 is fixed to the horn part 6 by screws 24, 24 and has fixed to its end a small ball 26 which engages the front face of the block 2 above the ball 4. The spring 22 tends to tip the block 2 on the ball 4 until the block engages a projection 28 on the horn for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The horn is so adjusted in the machine that whichever one of the projections 8 happens to be at the right of the awl, viewing the machine from the front, and in engagement with both pieces of the bag is as close as possible to the path of the awl when it penetrates the work.

When during the operation of the machine the work is being fed by the awl, the block 2 is moved away from the work in the usual manner and as it is so moved away the spring 22 swings the block 2 about the ball 4 until it is stopped by the projection 28. The lowermost projections 8 are thus moved out of the path of the stitch which has just previously been formed between them and allow the work to be fed without excessive movement of the block as a whole away from the work.

. The pressing of the block 2 against the projection 28 by the spring 22 tends to prevent undesired and accidental turning of the block on the ball 4 when, during the feeding of the work, the block is moved away therefrom and tends to retain it in proper position about the ball for re-engagement with the work.

The horn part 6 is adjustably supported on the machine as shown in Patent No. 1,707,571,

above referred to, being secured at its outer end to a bracket 32 slidably mounted upon an are shaped horn part 30, the center of eurva ture of which is at the tip of the horn part 6. At its upper end, the are shaped horn part 30 is fixed in a block 31 secured to the lower end of a vertical spindle 33 which is rotatably mounted in a block 34 with its axis in line with the tip of the horn part 6. The horn part 6 is this supported so that it can be moved quickly and easily about axes passing through its tip to any convenient angular position with relation to the work support to accommodate the particular shape and character of work being operated upon and by reason of the universal joint connection between the block 2 and the end of the horn part 6, the block is permitted to engage the work properly, regardless of the angular position of the horn part 6. The block 34 is pivotally mounted to swing about a substantially horizontal axis in a block 35 which is pivotally mounted in the frame 36 of the machine upon a horizontal pivot shaft 38, and the horn is actuated to move the block 2 towards and from the work support 14 to clamp and release the work during the sewing operation by mechanism comprising an arm 4-0 project ing rearwardly from the block 35, a cam actuated lever 42 and a rod 44, connecting the lever 42 and the arm 40.

While the block 2 hereinbefore described :and shown in the drawing is particularly adapted for sewing bags composed of thin flimsy material, as above indicated, it should be pointed out that this block is equally adapted for usewhen bags of stout material are being sewn in which the awland needle do not emerge into the inside of the bag and a support for the inside of the bag is thus provided such that bags of either character may be operated upon by the one machine without any change or adjustment of parts.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and an embodiment of the several features of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:

1. A machine for sewing bag corners and the like having, in combination, stitch form ing devices, a work support arranged with angularlydisposed work engaging surfaces, a work entering horn movable about a plurality of axes intersecting the end of the horn, a block mounted for universal movement at the end of the horn and formed with corresponding angularly disposed work engaging surfaces cooperating with the surfaces of the work support for holding the edges of the materials in position to be operated upon by the stitch forming devices and spaced projections ex ending from the block parallel to work engaging surface of the block to admit between them passage and work feeding movements of the stitch-formin g devices.

2. A machine for uniting the edges of thin materials to form bag corners and the like having, in combination, s'itch forming devices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work engaging surfaces, a rotary work en ering horn and a block mounted for universal movement at the end of the horn and formed with a plurality of angularly disposed work engaging side surfaces and a projection at each corner of the block extending above the intermediate edges of the side surfaces, said side surfaces of the block being arranged to cooperate with one surface of the work support and the ends of said projections from the block being arranged to cooperate with another surface of the work support in holding the edges of the materials in position to be operated upon by the stitch forming devices.

3. A machine for uniting the edges of thin materials to form bag corners and the like having. in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work engaging surfaces, a rotary work entering horn and a block mounted for universal movement at the end of the horn and formed with a plurality of angular-1y disposed work engaging side surfaces and a truncated pyramidal portion having an upper face extending above the adjoining surface of the block, said side surfaces of the block being arranged to cooperate with one surface of the work support and the upper face of the truncated port-ion being arranged to cooperate with another surface of the work support in holding the edges of the materials in position to be ope ated upon by the stitch forming devices.

l. A machine for uniting the edges of thin materials to form bag corners and the like vices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work engaging surfaces, a rotary work entering horn and a block mounted for universal movement at the end of the horn and formed with a plurality of angularly disposed work engaging side surfaces including corner projections and a truncated pyramidal portion having an upper face extending above the adjoining surface of the block and substantially in the 19 same plane with the ends of the corner proj ections, said side surfaces of the block being arranged to cooperate with one surface of the work support and the upper face of the truncated portion being arranged to cooperate with another surface of the work support in holding the edges of the materials in position to be operated upon by the stitch forming devices.

5. A machine for sewing bag corners and the like having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work engaging surfaces, a work entering horn movable about a plurality of axes intersecting the end of the horn, a block mounted for universal movement at the end of the horn and formed with corre sponding angularly disposedwork engaging surfaces cooperating with the surfaces of the work support for holding the edges of the materials in position to be operated upon by the stitch forming devices, and a resilient means acting to tip the block when moved from engagement with the work.

6. A machine for sewing bag corners and the like having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work engaging surfaces, a work entering horn movable about a plurality of axes intersecting the end of the horn, a block mounted for universal movement at the end of the horn and formed with corresponding angularly disposed work engaging surfaces cooperating with the surfaces of the work support for holding the edges of the materials in position to be operated upon by the stitch forming devices, a resilient spring strip formed with a ball terminal portion acting to tip the block and a projection on the horn for supporting the block against the action of the spring when moved from engagement with the work.

7 A machine for uniting the edges of thin materals to form bag corners and the like having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work engaging surfaces, a work entering horn, a block mounted for swinging movement at the end of the horn and formed with correspondingly angularly disposed work engaging surfaces cooperating with the surfaces of the work support, spaced rojections extending from the block parallel to a work engaging surface of the block to admit between them passage and work feeding movements of the stitch forming devices, means for intermittently moving the block away from the work in time with the feeding movements, and means for tipping the block to move one of the projections out of the path of the previously formed stitch.

8. A machine for uniting the edges of thin materials to form bag corners and the like having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work; engaging surfaces, a work entering horn, a block mounted for swinging movement at the end of the horn and formed with corresponding angularly disposed work engaging surfaces cooperating with the surfaces of the work support, spaced projections extending from the block parallel to a work engaging surface of the block to admit between them passage and work feeding movements of the stitch forming devices, means for intermittently moving the block away from the work in time with the feeding movements, and a resilient spring strip formed with a ball terminal portion acting to tip the block to move one of the projections out of the path of the previously formed stitch.

9. A machine for uniting the edges of thin materials to form bag corners and the like having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support arranged with angularly disposed work engaging surfaces and a work entering horn provided with an internal work engaging member comprising a flat sided angular block having a projection extending from each corner at one end and a truncated pyramidal surface extending from the central portion of said end.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALFRED EDWARD RICHARDS. 

